The Man Behind The Mask
by AboutFace
Summary: The second part of the Chunin Exams has just ended. One week has passed since the start of the one month break before the Finals. Jiraiya had taken Naruto out to train for his upcoming battles. What happens next will have an enormous impact on their future... Too cliche? Sorry, I'm just a newbie...


Hello everybody!

This is my first time and I'm trying to see if I have what it takes to write a good story.

I hope that you will be kind enough to read and review so that I would know what I need to do to improve my story writing skills.

And it would be nice if your criticism is constructive so that by the next time I start to write the chapters, I will have practiced whatever informative and educational suggestions you may have provided.

By the way, I would like to inform my readers and reviewers that I will not be giving any spoilers. That's a BIG NO for me. And Pairings will be decided later, that is if ever I have the guts to include them. :|

Finally, English is my third language so I hope you understand if there are any misspellings or grammatical errors in the story. I always proof-read my works to the best of my abilities before posting them.

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy what I have written so far.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but I do own whatever OC I may or may not include in my story. And not all of the ideas within my story are originally my own so I will will be editing my posts whenever I can recall the stories and authors from where and whom I have borrowed the ideas.

* * *

**HOKAGE OFFICE**

The second part of the Chunin Exams has just ended. One week has passed since the start of the one month break before the Finals. Jiraiya had taken Naruto out to train for his upcoming battles.

Hiruzen is leaning in his chair, taking a break from all the paperwork that was piled on his desk and smoking his pipe. He is deep in thought, thinking about how Naruto and the rest of the Konoha contingents who have passed the Preliminaries performed during the exams. Iruka is also in the office as he helped the Hokage finish the day's paperwork.

Suddenly a boar-masked ANBU appeared kneeling in front of Hiruzen.

"Hokage-sama, I have urgent news. It seems that Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama of the Sannin have been captured, along with their apprentices Shizune and Uzumaki Naruto."

"WHAT!" Hiruzen shouted as he rose to his feet, clearly expressing surprise in his face. This had the effect of alerting the ANBU stationed in his office and caused more of them to appear before him.

Iruka was now also on his feet, clearly as surprised as the Hokage. "That is bullshit! How could that possibly happened?"

The boar-masked ANBU ignored Iruka and continued with his report. "Five unknown shinobi were spotted approaching the main gates. All of them are wearing black cloaks and white masks. Four of them are currently carrying all the captives on their shoulders that seem unconscious at the moment. One of the unknown shinobi is also carrying small pig that is wearing a pearl necklace."

Hiruzen then turned to the window, ready to take off, and gave orders without turning back, "Cat, have all the available ANBU head for the main gates." A cat-masked ANBU vanished in a shunshin right after the order was given.

"Iruka, alert all Jounin and tell them to do the same. Have the Chunin evacuate all civilians near the main gate. Just tell them that it's an emergency evacuation drill."

The Hokage then left in a shunshin followed by all the ANBU which were stationed in his office at the time, heading for the main gates of the village. Iruka ran for the door and headed straight to the Jounin Standby Station where most of the Jounin stay while waiting for missions or assignments.

* * *

As they were moving towards the main gates, Hiruzen was in deep thought.

How did two of his prized students get captured?

During the Second Shinobi World War, Jiraiya and his former team-mates fought Hanzo of the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure. Hanzo was so impressed that they could survive in a fight with him, that he bestowed upon them the title of Konoha's "Legendary Three Ninja". Jiraiya is also a student and summoner of the Toad Sages of Mount Myouboku.

As one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade is undoubtedly one of the most powerful ninja that Konoha has ever produced. Greatly admired around the world, Tsunade is reputed to be one of the most powerful kunoichi in ninja history. She is a remarkable combatant and medical-nin, which has led to many younger kunoichi to look up to her. Jiraiya commented that no one could stand equal to her in terms of combat and medical prowess.

On her own merit, Tsunade became famous for frequently counteracting all of Chiyo's poisons. Chiyo is one of Sunakagure's Honored Siblings, famed puppet expert, leader of Sunakagure's Puppet Brigade and medical-nin. Tsunade is also the granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage and summoner of Katsuyu, a slug from Shikkotsu Forest.

Then there is also Tsunade's apprentice, Shizune, a very capable kunoichi of Jounin rank and a talented medical-nin.

Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were classified as S-ranked shinobi. Very powerful, experienced and extremely dangerous individuals.

They weren't supposed to be that easy to overcome so if the group of unknown individuals were able to defeat and capture them, then it only means that the members of that group were all of S-rank, extremely powerful and highly-experienced shinobi capable of taking down Kage-level shinobi or even highly trained Jinchuuriki.

* * *

**MAIN GATES OF KONOHA**

There were already several shinobi, mostly Jounin and some Chunin, assembled at the main gates. Team 8, 10, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Maito Guy, Hyuuga Neji and Tenten were also there and were awaiting further orders by the time Hiruzen and his ANBU escorts arrived.

"What's the current status of the enemy and the captives?" The group of shinobi that were already assembled at the main gate parted to give way for the Hokage and his ANBU escorts. Hiruzen and his escorts approached the front of the assembly followed by the rookie teams and their Jounin sensei.

"They have stopped several meters from the gate and made no attempts to enter or make any demands since they arrived a few minutes ago," said Hagane Kotetsu as he walked behind the Hokage and his escorts.

Kotetsu and his partner, Kamizuki Izumo, were on gate duty when the group of unknown individuals was spotted while approaching the main gate. "The captives are still unconscious at the moment."

As Hiruzen, his ANBU escorts and the rookie teams reached the front of the assembly, he saw for the first time the unknown group of individuals and their captives.

All members of the group stood at a height of five-feet and eight inches. They wore the same black cloaks; they were wearing masks that seem to be designed specifically for combat, were white with a purple tint that covers the entire upper-half of their heads with a design consisting of a ripple-pattern with three tomoe around their centers; two of the tomoe acted as their mask's eye-holes.

Four of them carried on their shoulders the unconscious Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune and Naruto. The last member, whom Hiruzen considers to be the leader of the group, was a few steps ahead of the others and carried a pig which is of light pinkish color, much like any other pig. Its cheeks blush in a darker shade of the same pink as her skin. It is also wearing a pearl collar and a dark red jacket.

All of them just stood there seemingly waiting for the Konoha shinobi to make a move.

* * *

All members of the Rookie Twelve that were present, along with their Jounin sensei, stood to the side of the Hokage in front of the assembled Konoha shinobi.

They couldn't believe what they could see. Two of the famed Sannin, Jiraiya and Senju Tsunade, were unconscious and their bodies were hanging from the shoulders of their captors.

Their Jounin sensei, members of Konoha's Elite Jounin, were standing slightly behind them, ready to move and protect their students.

* * *

Hiruzen took a few more steps toward the group of unknown individuals before addressing the foremost member. His face was calm and his voice was clear and void of any emotion.

"What are your intentions for coming here?" he said as he lighted his pipe and begins to smoke. "I must say that I'm quite impressed that you managed to capture two of my famed students including their apprentices," he said as he finished lighting his pipe and focused his sights at the leader of the group.

Seeing that the 'leader' of the group had no intention to give a reply, Hiruzen continued to speak while at that same time members of the ANBU secretly surrounded the unknown shinobi to cut off any chances of escape.

"Even just one of them can take on several groups of Elite Jounin or ANBU at the same time or go one-on-one with a Kage-level shinobi. To be able to capture them and it seems that they haven't taken any visible damage on their persons; you must have an incredible level of power and many years of experience in battle. So-"

As Hiruzen was about to finish speaking, three members of the group, the ones carrying the unconscious Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune, suddenly but slowly moved towards the Hokage.

Seeing that the other group has started to move, the ANBU that surrounded the unknown shinobi leapt from their current positions, into the open and took defensive stances ready for any attacks while some had already finished making hand seals for their techniques and waiting for the opportunity to attack.

All members of the Rookie Twelve had taken a step back and were in their respective defensive stance while their Jounin sensei had move to their front and ready to leap into action.

Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, had already revealed his Sharingan, eyes narrowed and trained on the unknown shinobi who have started to move towards them.

Maito Guy, Konoha's Green Beast, had already taken and thrown away his leg and arm weights, ready to charge at the oncoming enemy.

Sarutobi Asuma, Hiruzen's second son and former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, had drawn out his trench knives. Both knives were now emitting wind nature chakra, and positioned in a defensive stance in front of him.

Yuhi Kurenai, Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress, had already finished making hand seals for her genjutsu.

The rest of the assembled Konoha shinobi had also moved to surround the unknown individuals to prevent them from escaping while at the same time making hand seals and drawing out their weapons.

Every Konoha shinobi present were clearly nervous while at the same time alert in case something unexpected happens.

* * *

Hiruzen had removed and thrown aside his Hokage robes. He was now clad in his battle suit and was already making hand seals. "**Ninja Art: Summoning Technique**" Hiruzen called out as he slammed his hand on the ground and a puff of smoke appeared in front of him. As the smoke started to clear, it revealed the Monkey King Enma, personal summon of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Enma's body and tail was covered by white fur which protrudes from his sleeves and pants appeared. He was wearing a black suit with mesh armor underneath, over which he wears a sleeveless kimono shirt with white fur trimmings and markings reminiscent of tiger stripes on it which is held closed by a sash. Enma was also wearing a Konoha forehead protector.

"What's the matter, Sarutobi? It's been a long time since you last summoned me," Enma said as he turned to Hiruzen.

"I need your help again, old friend. Please get ready to transform." Hiruzen said as he prepared for his next move. Enma gave him a nod and Hiruzen called out his technique. "**Transformation Technique: Adamantine Staff**"

There was another puff of smoke and Enma had transformed into a staff that was held by Hiruzen in a defense stance.

While in his transformed state, Enma was capable of attacking on his own will using his claws and fangs which protrudes from the staff itself, adding an element of surprise and irregularity. Enma's at-will transformation-based attack and defense go beyond the scope of proficiency. When Hiruzen uses the staff, he usually uses strikes and thrusts that take full advantage of the ability to manipulate the staff's size and length.

* * *

As the assembled Konoha shinobi moved to surround the group of unknown shinobi, the three who were carrying the unconscious Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune continued to walk towards the Hokage's position.

"HALT! Continue to move forward and we will attack!" Hiruzen declared as he watched the three shinobi moving to his position.

All eyes were now on the the three unknown shinobi. What they happened next shocked them all to their very core.

Without warning, tree roots suddenly erupted from the ground and latched on every Konoha shinobi that were currently surrounding the unknown group and restricted their movements. Then, seals began to appear and glow on the bodies of the captured Konoha shinobi which prevented them from executing any kind of techniques.

* * *

Everything happened almost in a blink of the eye that nobody was able to do anything nor were they even able to utter sounds of surprise.

The only ones who weren't captured and restrained were the Rookie Twelve, their Jounin sensei and the Hokage.

Then the 'leader' of the unknown group addressed the rest of the assembled Konoha shinobi.

"The next time you make a move that I don't like, will be your last. Do not try to test me for I always keep my word."

The masked man was using a distortion technique to mask his voice. His words caused the Konoha shinobi to tense up some more.

Then, the three unknown shinobi who were carrying Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune resumed to move forward stopped a few feet from the Hokage before laying down their unconscious captives on the ground and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_'Shadow Clones!' _thought the Konoha shinobi as they realized what had just happened. _'So he knows how to use the Shadow Clone Technique.'_

Then the masked man whom they now considered as the original user of the Shadow Clone called out a technique.

"**Combined Binding Seal: Release**"

A few seconds later, the unconscious trio then began to move. They all let out a slight moan as they began to to regain their consciousness.

"Ugh. Damn, my head hurts. What the hell happened?" Jiraiya said as he began to stand up.

"I feel like I'm about to puke." said Tsunade. "If ever I get my hands on the bastard that did this, I'm gonna pummel him to kingdom come!"

"Is that you, Hime?" Jiraiya turned to the voice that came from his left side.

"Who else do you think, idiot?" Tsunade said as she knelt beside him. "And where the hell am I right now?"

_'Oh, Kami! I feel like my head's been split up!' _Shizune thought as she shook her head. _'And where is TonTon?'_

Hiruzen was the first to recover from the shock and slowly started to towards his former students who have now regained consciousness. "Are you all gonna be alright?" he asked.

"Argh. So I'm in Konoha. This is just fucking great!" Tsunade exclaimed as she heard her former sensei speak. "You better not be the one who ordered this old man, or else I'm really gonna be pissed!"

"My head is still spinning right now." said Jiraiya as he tried clear his head and regain his sense of balance.

"It will wear off in a few more seconds." a distorted voice said from behind them.

"YOU MUST BE THE ASSHOLE THAT THE OLD MAN HAD ORDERED TO CAPTURE ME!" shouted Tsunade as she began to rise and turn towards the speaker. "WHY DON'T YOU COME HERE AND I'LL-"

She stopped shouting as soon as she saw the current situation of the Konoha shinobi around them.

"What the hell happened here!" she said in a shocked tone. "And is that what I think it is?"

"That seems to be the case, Tsunade." Hiruzen replied as he started moved to her side.

"How is this even possible!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he also began to take view around them.

"I only know one person who was able to perform this technique." Shizune said as she too turned to face their former captor.

"There is also another who can use Wood Release in Konoha. He was formerly experimented on by Orochimaru." Hiruzen told them about Tenzo, one of the more successful experiments of his former-student-turned-traitor. "Although I doubt that he is the one who is doing this as he is now a member of ANBU."

"Maybe a sleeper agent Orochimaru had set up and has now finally turned against us!" Shizune exclaimed.

"No, that is definitely not possible."

"How can you be so sure about that, old man?" Tsunade asked as she turn to the Hokage.

"Because he is among the current captives." Hiruzen then pointed an ANBU who was entangled by tree roots.

Everybody then turned to look at said ANBU. Several glowing seal marks were visible on his mask.

"Then who else is capable of performing this technique if not him?" It was now Jiraiya who turned to ask Hiruzen.

There was a moment of silence as the Konoha shinobi tried to think of anybody else who could possibly us Wood Release aside from the Shodai Hokage and the trapped ANBU.

Then they heard the answer.

"Uchiha Madara."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed every Konoha shinobi.

Even Hiruzen was surprised. Everybody then looked at the masked shinobi who had spoken.

"But he was defeated during his battle with my grandfather at the Valley of the End!" Tsunade told the unknown shinobi.

"Indeed he was." came the reply.

"Then how could he possibly do that if he's dead? And how the hell could he use Wood Release?" Tsunade retorted seemingly baffled by what the masked shinobi had said.

"Yes, your grandfather had indeed defeated Madara during their battle at the Valley. But he was did not to kill him."

Another shout of "WHAT!?" came from the shocked Konoha shinobi.

* * *

_'That is insane!'_

_'BULLSHIT!'_

_'This guy is spouting nonsense!'_

_'How is that even possible?'_

_'He's lying!'_

_'That bastard's lying to us!'_

Were thoughts that ran in the minds of the Konoha shinobi.

They were still standing outside the main gate of Konoha as they confronted the unknown masked man who had suddenly appeared when he captured Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, Naruto and TonTon.

The masked man had just told them that Uchiha Madara had survived his battle with the Shodai Hokage and that he was able to use Wood Release Techniques.

"During his battle with Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara was able to acquire some of Hashirama's blood and tissue from which he extracted the Shodai's DNA and integrated it into himself. That was how he could perform Hashirama's techniques." the masked shinobi continued with his revelation.

"How did you come by this information?" This time it was Hiruzen who spoke. His face had now returned to its emotionless expression although he was still surprised from what they have just been told.

Tsunade, on the other hand, was now clearly furious. _'How dare he try to desecrate the memory of my grandfather's victory!'_

Everybody knew that Uchiha Madara died at the Valley and that the Shodai killed him.

Then the masked shinobi replied matter-of-factly, "That is because I fought against Uchiha Madara."

"YOU WHAT!?" they shouted.

"I call bullshit on that crap!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"That damn bastard is fucking insane!" Kiba shouted from his position.

"You lie!"

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

Almost every Konoha shinobi shouted words of denial about the masked man's claims.

On the other hand, the more contemplative minds of the group had taken the information seriously as they though about what the masked man had revealed to them.

_'He fought Uchiha Madara?' _Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Asuma, Shikamaru and Shino thought and asked themselves.

_'If what he says is true, then, he has to be as old as the Sandaime Hokage if he was alive during that time? The Battle of the Valley of the End happened decades ago.'_

"Who are you and how old are you right now?" came the voice of Nara Shikamaru as he stepped forward. The members of the Nara Clan are said to be one of the smartest group of people within Konohagakure no Sato. The Nara clan head, Nara Shikaku, was the current Jounin Commander of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Although his right hand was still holding up the ram sign for his clan's techniques just in case something unexpected happens again, Shikamaru doubts that any of them could do anything useful seeing as to how the masked shinobi had disabled most of the Konoha shinobi without even moving a single finger.

_'This man'_, Shikamaru thought, _'is clearly out of our league.'_

"And can you return to us our pet?" Shizune pleaded as she remembered that TonTon was still missing and saw that their pet was still being held by the unknown shinobi.

The masked shinobi then began to move towards her while every Konoha shinobi who were unbound by the tree roots took as step back and assumed defensive stances. The Shadow Clone of the masked shinobi, who was still carrying the unconscious blond boy, also started to move forward as it followed the original.

The masked shinobi stopped a few feet away from the Konoha group as all eyes were focused on him and his clone. He then knelt down on one knee as he released TonTon who immediately ran towards the open arms of a kneeling Shizune.

The Konoha shinobi then let out a sigh of slight relief.

"Can you also release to us the boy?" This time it was Hiruzen who spoke.

The unknown shinobi slightly turned his head towards Hiruzen which in turn caused every other Konoha shinobi to tense up as they anticipated the masked man's next move.

"Before I do anything else..."


End file.
